Shrine of Our Lady of Ceriola

Dedicated to Our Lady of Candlemas or Ceriola, it was probably built on the ruins of a pagan temple. The present structure dates from the 1400s to the 1500s. The interior was modified during the 1600s, with the addition of a new presbytery, while the bell tower and vault frescoes date from the mid-1800s.

Prominent inside is the wooden statue of Our Lady of Ceriola, so called probably because it is carved from a stump of turkey oak, dating back to at least the 16th century. She was crowned, in 1924, as a sign of devotion, with a crown made by melting down gold jewelry donated by the island's faithful. There are many legends concerning the origin of the Marian cult at the shrine. One, in particular, reported by local historians in the 1800s, tells of four virgin sisters, the four Marys, who decided to give themselves to monastic life, settling one in Sulzano, one in Sale Marasino, one in Tavernola and one in Molteisola. According to another legend, Our Lady had appeared in the guise of an old woman (hence the name, common on the island, of "veciasina," i.e., old woman, attributed to Madonna della Ceriola).

On one wall of the sanctuary is an interesting collection of votive pictures, some dating from the 1600s, others ranging from the 1800s to the present, which tell of the faith of the lake's inhabitants. Finally, along the path leading to the shrine are 15 stone chapels dedicated to the mysteries of the Rosary, built around 1960-70.